The Doberman Pinscher types

Everybody knows about the Doberman Pinscher, right? A big black & tan dog with amazing guarding abilites, a bit like the Rottweiler? Wrong. There is a lot more to the Dobermann than meets the public eye, from all sorts of capabilities to temperaments and more. But today I will be focusing on the two main and very interesting 'types'. Before I start, however, its important to know what a 'type' is. In dog breeds, type is a slightly different physical appearance inside a breed. The dogs are all still similar and to the same standard, and therefore it would be silly to have to make that type into another breed. For example, making short-haired Border Collies seperate from long-hairs would be pointless because the only variation is the coat type. A type is also different to a 'strain', which is a specific line of pedigreed dogs bred by a certain breeder/s for a few decades. I will not be going into this field today but that also is a very interesting area.
There are two main Dobe types, those being the European and the American. The American type is most common in Australia and the US, and is often the only one recognised. So, below I have a seperate part for both types and even varitation, just so it's not too confusing. Enjoy!




The European Doberman Pinscher -


Is the type closest in resemblance to Lious' Dobermann's Dogs. These Dobies are a very heavy-built dog used mainly as schutzhund and Police Dogs. This is often refferred to as the 'working' strain of Dobies because they have been used for centuries and are still in use doing what they were bred for, unlike many breeds today. The European Dobies, obviously, live all over Europe and some are exported to breeders around the world. They are, however, only bred to their type to preserve the strong working instincts. These dogs are often very agressive and make brilliant guards. They can be unreliable and this is often due to the fact that they were bred for non-companionship reasons. This is probably the hardest to train and strongest type of the two.
As for physical appearance, the Euro Dobermann is large, solid and muscular. He has a large, powerful head with a pointed muzzle, a long, thick neck, deep, broad chest, gradually sloped back and solid hindquaters. The legs are muscular are strong, and the paws are rounded and large. The ears are naturally large and folded down; but many breeders have these cropped and taped for a better appearance. The tail is thick, long and curled. It can be docked but in Europe it is usually left natural length with uncropped ears. This is the traditional type of Dobermann and is quite uncommon in show Dobes elsewhere.





The American Doberman Pinscher -

Is a very common type worldwide. These Dobies are descended from the European type and have gradually changed type in America by the breeding of different, lighter dogs. The American Dobie is used in Police work and guard also, but is most commonly found in show and pet homes.

The showing of this type of Dobermann is extremely popular worldwide and this is the type shown mostly in Australia. There are also various kinds of American Dobies, but these all come roughly from the same dogs and should not be considered types. The show Dobes in Australia, for example, are all slightly different to those in America.

The Physical apearance of the American Dobermann is somewhat similar to the Euro Dobie, but it is unmistakedly varied.

This Dobie is large, fine-boned and often ribby. His head is large but light, with a long pointed nose, and a thin, slender neck. The back is straight, the chest is deep and tucked up high into the stomach. The legs are long and fine, with solid, round paws. The ears of show American Dobes are always cropped, and the tail is always docked short. This is the typical American Dobermann type, with the exception of a pet with natural ears.





So, there you have it. The two Doberman Pinscher types with beautiful photos from allover the web. Comments, anyone?